Daybreak
by Sandman's Dream Catcher
Summary: "Weak." "Pitiful." "So this is the human who fights." Madara spat sinisterly, as did his followers. Itachi smirked, his new teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Madara frowned. "Yes." Itachi's eyes narrowed. "And I fight because I have something worth fighting for." Then he lunged. AU. Repost.


**Unbeta'd folks.**

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><p><em><strong>"Snow Village - Northernmost Town in the Land of Fire.<strong>_

_**Isolated in 80 miles of roadless wilderness. Cut off every winter for 30 days of night. . ."**_

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><p><em>Daybreak<em>

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><p><strong>Sunset<strong>

"Have any plans for the blackout?"

Silence.

"Come on Itachi, talk to me, man."

Itachi didn't even bother to turn to look at him. Both men, however, were startled when a phone went off in the small truck. Shisui patted himself down in his seat looking for his phone. When he looked up, he couldn't help but frown.

Itachi was staring at his phone, with a look of indifference. Bohemian Rhapsody on loop filled the air. His gloved hand holding the steering wheel clenched.

"Are you going to answer that?" Shisui asked from his seat on the passenger side of the truck, knowing well who was calling his best friend if him stopping the vehicle to a screeching halt mid reverse was any sign. They were on their way to the Inuzuka's after receiving a distress call of something horrible happening to their dogs. All day the Uchiha Police Station has been busy, receiving calls from people about vandalism done on their properties. From stolen phones, to burned modems, and ripped out cables, it seemed like someone was out on a rampage against technology. _Or maybe someone was cutting them off from the world _the dark side of his mind thought. He dismissed it though.

The phone kept ringing in his hand but Itachi made no attempt to answer it. Shisui scoffed before reaching for the ringing phone, taking it without resistance from his stoic friend.

"Hi, Sweetheart. What can I do for you?" Shisui spoke cheerily into the microphone all the while sending a glare at his long time friend. Humming from the other side, the speaker asked why he couldn't answer the phone.

"Sure, let me just pass you to him." He held the phone out to Itachi. "It's for you Itachi." _Talk to her_, is what he meant to say.

Itachi took the phone, his eyes unreadable as he looked straight ahead into the darkening sky. He pressed the phone to his ear to greet her cordially.

"Sakura."

"_Surprise!_

Silence.

"_I uh, I need a ride to the airport."_

Itachi's eyes narrowed as his grip on his phone tightened. "You're still in town, and you didn't want to talk." It was said as more of a statement than a question.

Her voice became tired. "_. . . Itachi, let's not do this now. Please."_

He let her speak.

"_I just got into a little accident. The road is blocked by snow. I'm stuck, and the airport is miles beyond my reach. The airport will close, and I'll never get home. Can you please help me?_

He wanted to ask her where home now was for her since last time he checked it was with him, by his side.

"_I mean, uh if you want to talk, we can do it on the drive."_

Shisui saw Itachi smirk from the corner of his eye, though the amusement didn't reach his eyes. He removed the phone from his ear and turned to him. "Sakura needs a ride to the airport. Can you pick her up?"

He nodded an affirmative. Itachi put the phone back against his ear, forced smile on his face and answered in a clipped tone. "There's a case down with the Inuzuka clan that I have to see to. Shisui will be on his way to pick you up."

"_Alright. . . Thank-"_

"And Sakura?"

She was quiet.

"Let me know if the day comes that you do want to talk."

"_Itachi-"_

He didn't give her the chance to finish because he handed the phone over to Shisui, unbuckled his seat belt to get out of the truck.

The door slammed leaving Shisui to wince from the sound. He heard sniffles coming from the phone as he leaned it against his ear as he maneuvered himself into the driver's seat, muttering the word 'asshole' as he did.

"Where are you Sakura?"

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><p>. . .<p>

* * *

><p>"The town lost power almost an hour ago. Houses are running on generators, as we speak."<p>

"Why?" Itachi asked as he checked the numbers of vaults he had for his shotgun.

"We don't know. Something must be going down with Genma."

"I'll go check on him." He said as he locked his handgun and stuffed in his back pocket. "You alright taking care of the place?"

Shisui waved a hand as if insulted. "Please, I take care of you, cousin."

Itachi smirked. "I'll see you in a few then."

"Oh and by the way, there's a surprise waiting for you in the truck." Shisui started innocently.

Itachi looked out the window and spotted the police truck parked where Shisui left it earlier. A head of pink hair could be spotted inside the passenger seat.

"You've got to be kidding me."

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><p>. . .<p>

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><p>"We have to get back." He declared as he slipped the binoculars back into the glove compartment, and buckled his seatbelt.<p>

"What? What is it? What did you see?"

Itachi ignored her call to start the truck. He placed an arm behind her seat to check the rear of the car, and then put it on reverse. Once they were on the road did he hit the gas.

"Itachi?" Sakura asked exasperated.

He replied seconds later. "I don't know." And he didn't, which troubled him greatly.

A loud thunk hit the truck from the roof which caused Sakura to scream at whatever _animal _was trying to claw it's way into the truck.

"Hold on." Itachi hard voice whispered. He hit the gas until they were going practically 70 miles an hour on icy roads, and at the turn he braked hard, causing whatever was atop to tumble off. Itachi managed to get a look at a pale face with dark hair and red eyes, and right away got the feeling it wasn't human.

"What the hell was that !"

His fingers clenched around the steering wheel. "Something from your worst nightmares."

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><p>. . .<p>

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><p>Screams.<p>

And more screams.

"Get in the truck!"

They were getting closer.

"What?"

"I said get in the fucking truck!" Itachi practically yelled as he pulled Sakura along side him as they made a run for the police car parked just ahead. But it was too late, they were surrounded.

Blood covered mouths smiled sinisterly at them. And then they all screeched.

"Run!"

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><p>. . .<p>

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><p>"What the fuck is going on!"<p>

"Calm yourself Sasuke."

"Shut up! You're wondering the same thing!"

"But yelling won't solve anything. It will just give out our location. And you know this-"

"I don't want to die!" And that was the end of Sasuke's rampage, and instead he began to sob. "I don't want to die. . . not like this."

Sakura stood up and walked over to comfort him.

"No one does, Sasuke. No one does."

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><p>. . .<p>

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><p>Nothing would have prepared them for what came next.<p>

They moved in like wraiths under the cover of darkness, and waited before making their move.

One moment they were preparing for the annual month of darkness like every other year, the next monsters that people thought existed in only nightmares came to prey on them all.

So much blood had been spilled that night. And so much death tainted the streets among the broken corpses strewn around like dolls.

People were taken from their homes, from their beds. Then slaughtered like animals in a butchery.

They are too fast. Too strong.

Unstoppable.

Agonizing screams of fear and pain could still be heard, as those unlucky souls met their untimely death by the hands of such vile creatures.

And there was nothing they could do to stop it.

And that's what frustrated Itachi as he stood immobile to the scene of his neighbor's neck being torn apart by a creature with long raven hair and red eyes.

Like demons sent straight from hell.

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><p><strong>Day 5<strong>

"...should be open, but the likelihood of any of us making is slim to none."

A plan began to form in Itachi's head.

"Does the Aburame home still run on the water powered generator installed last year?"

Shino nodded.

"Wait for my signal." Itachi whispered breathlessly.

"Wait, what? What do you mean wait?" Sakura turns to look at Itachi confusedly only to notice that he's gone from the crawl space under the house they were hiding outside in. Sasuke just shrugged.

She was about to look for him when suddenly she hears a crash, glass breaking, and metal bending. Itachi, who just driven inside a store with the police car, opened the door. A bit disorientated, he hops out the vehicle only to start running down the street banging on trash cans with an axe, all the while yelling "Over here! Over here!"

Growls and feet could be heard pursuing Itachi as he ran down the bloody, snow covered street.

Sakura cursed as began to crawl out. "Asshole!"

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><p>. . .<p>

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><p>He broke into the house with ease.<strong><br>**

He walked into each room, hurriedly turning on every light of the home. Like a beacon , the creatures will be drawn to the house like moths.

They should be there any minute now.

Quickly disassembling the UV light from the insect tank in the living room, Itachi crouched low a few feet away from the door, the glass rod bulb burning his fingers through his gloves as he held it.

"Come on... come on." He whispered, sweat dripping down his brow.

Then the front door busts open.

He raises the light in front of him.

The effect was instantaneous.

The creature screeched as the sound and smell of burning flesh filled the air. It fell to ground thrashing in pain. Where the light hit, black marks marred the creature. With light raised Itachi backed away towards the back door, setting it down in case he were followed.

He ran into the dark night, passing houses and stores to get to the station. One thought running through his mind.

They had to survive 25 more nights before the sun came up.

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><p><strong>Day 10<strong>

"Do you think we'll make it?"

They had just lost another member of their group as they trekked through the blizzard. He was taken under a house by a creature with dark hair and a snake-like appearance.

Itachi glared at her through the darkness of the room her and eight other survivors were hiding in.

"There's no room to think like that."

She turned away shamefully.

His eyes softened as he took in her somber features, and whispered soft enough that she wouldn't be able to hear. "I'll make sure you do."

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><p><strong>Day 14<strong>

"Obito's gone."

His fist punched a fist through a wall. His knuckles stung, and warm liquid dripped down his injured hand.

"DAMN IT!"

A gentle touch to his shoulder startled him and made him turn. Sakura, with tearful eyes, looked at him.

"I'm so sorry." And she wrapped her arms around his stiff frame in a hug.

It didn't matter that she managed to startle him.

It didn't matter that he was showing weakness.

And it didn't matter that he and she haven't been on good terms since the start of this mess.

He wrapped his arms around her.

And shocked everyone in the room, even himself, by holding onto her like his life depended on it.

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><p><strong>Day 20<strong>

"And then there were six. . ." Sasuke murmured through his scarf to no one in particular. The guy who with a fascination to bugs was just taken.

Both his friends, the blonde and the pinkette, slapped him behind the head.

"Shut up bastard!"

Itachi who walked into the room a couple minutes later to stand behind Sasuke and Naruto. He slapped them behind the head earning him a grunt and yelp from both.

"Behave."

He caught Sakura looking at him and noticed her eyes glittering with amusement. She was holding hand to her mouth trying to suppress a laugh, but failing.

It was the first time in a long time since he had heard her laugh, and be the cause of it.

The warmth feeling inside his chest whenever he looked at her was welcomed this time around.

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><p><strong>Day 27<strong>

"Itachi. . .?"

"Hmm."

"If we survive this. . ."

Itachi turned to look at Sakura. They were sitting across each other, knees grazing, but not touching. It was comfortable for both parties since neither made a move to change their positions.

He wanted to reprimand her to never say such things. It was not a matter of 'if' they survived, but 'when' they survived. He, however, held his tongue and just settled to frown as he nodded at her to go on.

"After we survive this," she amended after noticing his discomfort, "do you think we can start over?" Her voice dragged the last part as if she, herself, wasn't sure of herself. Her eyes were looking everywhere but him after her admission. Her hands were fidgeting either from the nerves of asking such a question or from the below zero temperatures that has plagued their group for a few days now. He hoped for the former, but desired for the latter to be true.

After about a minute of silence, Sakura heard Itachi sigh. She suddenly felt movement in front of her before looking up. He had used his arms for support as he made an effort to get up from the hard wooden floor. He stretched to his full height, which was quite tall, before slowly walking away into the next room where the others were sleeping.

A few minutes passed by, and when Sakura was finally accepting that she had lost the man she loved for good, she heard rustling before a blanket was wrapped around her. She felt warmth instantly, and the blood flow returning normally back in her arms and legs. Her eyes flew open to see Itachi, who was now sitting next to her, with a strong arm wrapped around her while the other was fixing the wool blanket that he must have gotten from the other room when he left. He stared at their feet before looking down at her with unreadable black eyes.

"Get some sleep." He told her softly, then nudged her head to rest in the crook of his neck.

Sakura settled herself in his arm before growing bolder and wrapped an arm around his waist. She felt him stiffen for a moment, then relaxing, before slowly placing his other arm over hers on his abdomen. She let her eyes droop close and a content smile grace her face.

After waiting for her breaths fall normally from deep slumber Itachi let his eyes close shut, even if only for just a few moments before returning to his post to keep watch. His mouth lifted upward into a small smile.

"I would like that."

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><p><strong>Day 28<strong>

"I'm scared Itachi." Sakura cries were muffled by his jacket as he held her against him; drawing circles around her back in an attempt to sooth her. Their breaths were breathless from running in order to evade their pursuers.

He didn't know what to tell her.

He was scared too.

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><p><strong>Day 30<strong>

"Let's be rational about this!"

Silence greeted her as the dark haired man continued to rummage through the first aid kit. He and the other survivors from the attack were all hidden in the cellar of the town's electric plant.

It's been a long, cold four weeks, and the month's about to end. It would be the end of total darkness.

They made it.

"This is _madness_!"

Almost that is.

He finds what he's looking for and tears open the small package with his teeth. He pulls out a needle.

"Itachi Uchiha! Are you even listening to me!"

She only called him by full name when she's upset with him. A glance at her would prove it as well. Which he did, because he's a masochist like that. His beautiful wife is a force to reckon with. Her pink hair was tousled and wet from the snowstorm they had to endure when they arrived to the warm safe haven that the plant brought. Her petite form was trembling in place from the fury that threatened to leak from her. Her eyes, the color of jade when enraged, flickered with emotions that changed from sadness, to anger, to sadness again to only show fury and hell to pay whoever is on the end of her dark glare. He underestimated her yet again. She's more than just upset with him. She's pissed.

With the needle in hand, he walks determinedly towards the severed corpse of his childhood friend, dark eyes blank. He kneels down, his gaze softening as he takes in the mangled body of his fallen comrade.

_Shisui_.

Even in death, he looks at ease.

He grabs hold of Shisui's limp wrist, searching for a vein to draw blood from.

A scratch, other than a bite, he realized, can inhibit the change. So it's transmitted through the blood. Hence his predicament, or moment of insanity as Sakura kindly had put it.

One drop of blood from the enemy. And that's all it would take to turn into one of them.

A _monster_.

Dismissing unwanted thoughts, he continued to draw. He takes enough to speed up the process. And hopefully to minimize the pain as well. The sound of the thick liquid slush in the syringe making his stomach churn.

Once the black blood filled to the line of the small syringe, he stood up and stepped back against a wall. With sweaty hands that were trembling, he quickly stripped himself of his jacket, pushing up the sleeve of his muddy shirt to expose his pale arm. Leaning against the wall, he clumsily tied the elastic band that came with the needle in place around his right arm. His muscles relaxed as the blood flow came to a slow halt. He felt for a vein and found it. His other arm with the needle moved towards the injection site, but an arm, her arm, shoots out, grabbing his wrist before the needle even punctured skin.

He fixed her a cool glare. His eyes softened, though when he noticed the turmoil behind those viridian orbs.

"There has to be another way! Anything but this! Anything!" Her eyes, filled with tears she's trying to hold back, are pleading.

"There is none." He answered monotonously. Resigned.

Her grip tightens, and her voice cracks. "But there is no guarantee that this will even work. What if-"

"_Enough_ Sakura.

The use of her name coming from his mouth silences her. He winces as he realizes that he hasn't used it since their separation a month prior.

He sighed. "There is _no_ other way. Only death for all of us, if I sit back and do nothing."

The creatures have finished feasting on the town's inhabitants, and are moving on. They are planning to set the town ablaze to make it seem that all the deaths were nothing but a tragic accident. And as an enforcer of the peace and justice in this town, he wasn't going to let them get away with that.

Her grip loosens for a fraction of a second as the full meaning of his words finally hit her. This is their only chance of survival.

"But why does it have to be _you_?"

Good question. Why him indeed? Well, he wouldn't let his younger brother do it. The others were too cowardly, or too impulsive to remain in control once the change took place. And he definitely wouldn't let her do it. So it had to be him. He had to make the last stand.

"I can't let you do this. . ." She whispered. Her voice trembling from the onslaught of tears that have begun to leak.

Her eyes flickered open, fixing him with a steely gaze. Her grips tighten yet again. "I _won't_ let you do this!"

Never one to back down, his spitfire of a wife. If one would walk in on them, one would think they were together. What went wrong between them to divorce remains a painful mystery to bear.

He looked at her, his eyes flicking to her cracked lips. The urge to kiss her never felt so strong until now. Eyes blazing with raw emotion. Bottom lip swollen, and pain from the abuse she has caused it by biting it. A habit she has when she's nervous. Her pink hair was matted against her forehead from the sweat and blood that has dried. Her hair had grown a bit too, in their month of hiding. Running just past her collar. She looked like a warrior who went through hell and back.

Yet she never looked more beautiful to him.

_To hell with it all_. He set the syringe down, placed a hand at the nape of her neck and pulled her to him closer. Without asking permission, his lips crashed down onto hers in a passionate embrace. It started off with a small contact of lips to a full out frenzy, filled with raw emotions of need and desperation. She responded right away, wrapping her arms around his neck almost as an attempt from keeping him from disappearing. So much emotion and meaning in this one kiss, yet so little time to fully explore the possibilities and outcomes of it. They pulled away slowly, foreheads resting against each other's, eyes never leaving one another.

"And I can't let you die."

Then a tear fell from the corner of her eye, as her voice spoke softly and resigned. "But don't you see? If you do this. . . You will die!"

He smiled sadly. "I know." He replied as he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And I'm willing to die to protect those I love."

He steps away from her, letting her arms from we're wrapped around him fall limply at her sides. He grabs the needle, and this time without delay he injects it in his protruding vein. It immediately darkens the trail of the blood running through his veins, spreading until he felt a burning pain in his chest, where his heart should be. The needle drops from his hand, as his eyes close tightly, and his hands ball up into fists at his sides. His knees hit the ground before he even feels himself falling. Itachi feels arms try to hold him, but he thrashed against their hold and pushed them away.

Footsteps coming from another room can be heard making their way hurriedly over to where Sakura and Itachi were.

His mouth felt like a thousand needles were trying to puncture their way out of his gums. His muscles were being stretched, and his nails pierced his skin when he held them into fists tightly.

Fire and darkness consumed him, but her face and voice remained imprinted in his mind.

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><p>. . .<p>

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><p>Hair tied at the nape of his neck he pulled his hood up to mask his appearance from his enemies until the right opportunity. His senses were heightened from the change, which meant his sense of smell changed as well. Everyone he considered a friend smelled delicious to him.<p>

He left the room quickly before instincts overtook him.

He walked down the hallway that led out of the plant to the outside world where the creatures were planning to burn the town down.

Red eyes met dark passive ones as he passed his younger brother who was waiting for him at the door, head bowed.

Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Take care of her for me."

Sasuke grips the hand over his shoulder. "With my life." He forced out.

At the sound the cellar door closing, and the cold air coming in and out, he disappeared.

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><p>. . .<p>

* * *

><p>"And, who do we have here?"<p>

"The one who will bring you to your demise, you bastard."

Madara chuckled. "Spirited aren't you."

His followers all had bloody grins as they cornered him against a fence.

"Let's see just how spirited are you."

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><p>. . .<p>

* * *

><p>Itachi knelt coughing over a puddle of his blood.<p>

His assailant and his followers laughed at his state.

"Weak." Madara taunted, blood red eyes glinting with malice as he saw the young man spit more blood out.

"Spineless." Madara lunges and kicks Itachi down to the ground, earning a cracking noise and a groan of pain from him.

"Pitiful."

"So this is the human who fights." He laughed sinisterly, as did his followers.

Itachi wiped his mouth before steadily regaining his footing. His whole stance changed as he stood up straight to look at the demon with blood red eyes of his own. Itachi smirked.

"Not human." His new teeth gleamed in the moonlight.

Madara frowned. "Vampire."

"Yes." Itachi's eyes narrowed. "And I fight because I have something worth fighting for."

Then he lunged.

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><p><strong>Daybreak<strong>

A head.

That's all that was left of the leader Madara after Itachi was done with him. His followers fled right after before Itachi even had a chance at them. He can still remember the mixed looks of shock, anger and admiration for defeating their leader in cold blood.

Itachi stood rigid, staring into the fire that was built to burn the pieces.

He smelled her before she came to stand next to him.

He looked up into the brightening sky. "It's almost dawn."

"Should I go after them?"

She shook her head no. Well that's that, he thought.

Sakura takes the time to inspect him. His face is ragged stress lines protruding more than usual, and two fresh cuts marred his right cheek. His eyes, although sinister in color held no evil. His dark bangs crowned his face, ponytail coming undone. His skin already pale, was white and cold to the touch when she touched his cheek with an outstretched hand.

Her eyes widened at the realization of his words.

"Dawn. It's almost _dawn_, Itachi. . ."

"No... " she sobbed against him as they embraced.

He only held her. Not a trace of anger in his gaze at realization of the evitable. He knew this would happen. It was all part of the plan.

He sent her a sad smile as he placed a hand over hers holding his cheek.

"Then we have a sunrise to catch, don't we."

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><p>. . .<p>

* * *

><p>They shared one last bittersweet kiss before going.<p>

Sitting on the hilltop over the soft layer of snow, a lone tear fell as she held the trembling form of her husband under the coloring sky.

He grunted in pain as the first rays of light hit his face.

As more light peeked out from over the hill, the more the pain he felt. Itachi thrashed against her, but she did her best to hold him down, until finally he released one heartbreaking scream that sent chills down her frame, and sobs escaping from her throat. She couldn't handle seeing him like this.

He was dying.

And as he lay dying in her arms, she couldn't help but stare ahead into the horizon. Hues of red and yellow bleed through the sky.

It was when the sun was at it highest peak in the sky did his last scream fade, and she knew it was over.

The smell of burning ash lingered in the air.

Never has she seen a sunrise so beautiful.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>"Madara has fallen, Pein-sama."<p>

The sun has begun to set on the burning town. Pein and his followers stood by the ashy form of the fallen man who took on Madara, singlehandedly and won. The sun's rays glinted off their rings that gave them the power to hide their true nature from the humans, and walk amongst them in daylight. Fickle, how fate can be to the heroes, he wondered.

"He was foolish." Remarked the short red head of the group. Sasori's golden eyes looked bored. "Foolish to have underestimated the spirit of men."

Deidara smirked. "Tch."

"But the fact remains, we still need a leader, Pein-sama." Replied the most loyal of the group.

"Indeed we do Kisame." Pein nodded in agreement.

Pein looked down to the form of Itachi and smiled. The man had his uses."Konan."

The only woman of the group stepped forward.

"You know what to do."

**Fin**

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><p><strong>An: Tell me what you think! Should I continue?**

**Thanks for reading. **

**Cheers.**


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